Anatomy of Retina

By
Dr.Ashok Kumar Valuroutu
 The retina is a thin, semitransparent,
multilayered sheet of neural tissue
that lines the inner aspect of the
posterior two-thirds of the wall of the
globe.
Thin delicate layer of nervous tissue
Surface area of 266 mm2
Extends from optic disc to ora serrata
 Embryology
The outer layer of the optic cup is known as the
pigmented layer of the retina.
Development of the inner (neural) layer of the
optic cup is more complicated.
The posterior four-fifths, the pars optica retinae,
contains cells bordering the intraretinal space
that differentiate into light-receptive elements, rods
and cones.
Adjacent to this photoreceptive layer is the
mantle layer, which, as in the brain, gives rise to
neurons and supporting cells, including the outer
nuclear layer, inner nuclear layer, and
ganglion cell layer.
Visible LAND MARKS of Human Retina
Optic Disc
Retinal Blood Vessels
Area centralis with fovea and foveola
Peripheral retina and ora serrata
Thickest near the optic disc
Thin towards the peripheral
OPTIC DISC:
Circular or slightly oval app. 1.5mn
In the central contains a depression known as Physiological
Cup
AREA CENTRALIS:
It is demarcated app. by upper and lower arcuate and temporal
retinal vessels.
Corresponds to app. 150 of the visual field and adopted for
accurate diurnal vision and colour discrimination.
It is divisible into fovea and foveola
FOVEA:
Center of area centralis 4mm temporal to the center of the optic
disc.
 In this layer has there are no rods.
Cones are larger and abundant its central part consist of
cones and there nuclei covered by a thin internal limiting
membrane. All other layers are absent in this region.
In the center of the foveola there is tiny depression known
as umbo. It corresponds to foveolar reflex.
PERIPHERAL RETINA:
4 Regions
1. Near periphery: Circumscribed region of about 1.5mm
around the area centralis.
2. Mid periphery: Occupies 3mm wide zone around the near
periphery.
3. Far periphery: Extends from the optic disc 9-10mm on the
temporal side and 16mm on the nasal side in the horizontal
meridian.
4. Ora serrata: Peripheral margin of the retina which consists
of dentate fringe. The retina ends here and ciliary body
stars.
Here sensory retina is firmly attached to vitreous and RPE
Servations are less developed temporally where cystic
degeneration is most common.
 Ora serrata marks the transition between
the attenuated Retina and Inner Columnar
Non-Pigment cells of Pars ciliariinues as
retinae.
The RPE continues anteriorly as the outer
cuboidal cell layer of the ciliary body.
Beginning at a younger age the cystoid
degeneration starts at the outer plexiform
layer , more marked on the nasal side.
They extend between the inner and the
outer limiting membrane in elders and
communicate with the vitreous leading to
Retinal Detachment.
 MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURE OF RETINA
It has 10 layers:
1. Retinal pigment epithelium
2. Layer of rods and cones
3. External limiting membrane
4. Outer nuclear layer
5. Outer molecular (plexiform) layer
6. Inner nuclear layer
7. Inner molecular (plexiform) layer
8. Ganglion cell layer
9. Nerve fibre layer
10. Internal limiting membrane
 RPE:

1. Outer most layer consists of single layer of hexagonal shape cells which
contain pigment.
2. It is firmly attached to underlying Bruchs membrane and loosely attached to
layer of rods and cones.
3. Space bet. RPE and sensory retina is called sub retinal space. Separation of
RPE from sensory retina is called retinal detachment.
4. On electron microscopy the adjacent RPE cells are connected with each other
by tight junctions and constitute the outer blood retinal barrier. Terminal bars.
5. Terminaln bars- ( Gap junctons , zonula ocludens and zonula adherens.
6. Zonula ocludens forms the external component of the Blood retinal Barrier.
7. Rest of intercellular space is filled by Extra cellular matrix-VERHOEFFS
MEMBRANE in light microscope
FUNCTIONS:
Imp. role in photo receptor renewal and recycling of Vit.A.
Absorption of scattered light by Melanin Granules.
Transport of nutrients and metabolites through extra retinal
blood barrier.
Inter photo receptor matrix participates in retinal attachment
of the retina to RPE and facilitates Phagocytosis of the shed
discs of the outer cone segments.
On the basal surface RPE cells produce type 4 collagen,
heparin sulphate and laminin which become incorporated in
lamina vitrea of Bruchs membrane.
LAYER OF PHOTO RECEPTORS:
There are about 120 million rods and 6.5mm cones.
1. End organs of vision which transform light energy to visual
impulse.
2. Rods contain photo sensitive substance rhodopsin which is
responsible for peripheral vision and vision of low
illumination.
3. Cones also contain a photo sensitive substain responsible
for central vision and colour vision.
4. Highest density of cones is at fovea.
5. Rods are absent at fovea and maximum below the optic
disc.
STRUCTURE OF ROD CELL:
1. 40-60 m long.
2. Outer segment is cylindrical. It contains flattened double
lamellae in the form of discs.
3. Discs various between 600 to 1000/rod cell. There are no
special attachments bet. discs or bet. discs and plasma
membrane.
4. Discs contain 90% of the visual pigment remaining is
scattered on plasma membrane.
5. Inner segment of the rod is thicker than the outer. It has two
regions.
a. Outer eosinophilic ellipsoid which contains more
mitocondria.
b. Myoid which contains glycogen as well as usual
organelles
6. A modified cilium connects the outer segment to inner
segment with 9+0 configuration i.e. 9 doublets around the
periphery with no central micortubule.
7. Outer rod fibre arises from the inner end of the rod which
passes through the external limiting memb. And swells into
a densely staining nucleus the rod granule which at its end
has an end buld called the rod spherule i.e. in contact with
cone foot.
CONE CELL:
1. 40 TO 80 m largest at fovea shortest at periphery.
2. Outer segment of cone is conical and contains iodopsin.
3. Inner segment is similar to rod structures. Ellipsoid of cone
is very plump and contains a large number of mitochondria.
EXTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE:
Fenestrated memb. which extents from the ora serrata to
the edge of optic disc. Process of cones and rods pass
through this.
OUTER NUCLEI LAYER formed by nuclei of rods and cones.
Rod nuclei form the bulk of this layer. Number of rows of
nuclei and thickness of this layer where is from region to
region.
OUTER PLEXIFORM LAYER:
This layer contains the synapses bet. rod spherules and
cone pedicles with the dendrites of the bipolar cells and
processes of the horizontal cells. It marks the junction of the
end organs of vision and first order neurons in retina.
INNER NUCLEI LAYER:
Consists of following cells:
Bipolar cells
Horizontal
Amacrine
The soma of the Mullers
Capillaries of the central retinal vessels
BIPOLAR CELLS:
Neurons of first order of vision.
Body of the bipolar cells consists entirely of nucleus, which
lies in the inner nuclear layers. There dendrites arborize
with the rod spherules and cone pedicles in outer plexiform
layer.
3. Under light microscopy nine types
a. Rod bipolar cells
b. Invaginating midget bipolar
c. Flat midget bipolar
d. Invaginating diffuse bipolar
e. Flat diffuse bipolar
f. On-centre blue cone bipolar
g. Off-centre blue cone bipolar
h. Giant bistratified bipolar
i. Giatn diffuse invaginating bipolar
HORIZONTAL NEURONS:
Consists of following cells:
Flat cells having neumerous horizontal associative and
neuronal interconnections between photo receptor and
bipolar cells in the outer plexiform layer.
Divided into 3 types- HI, HII and HIII.

AMACRINE CELLS:
Present in the inner most of this layer. They have a piriform
body and single process.
Forms connections with the axons of the ganglion cells.
MULLERS CELLS:
Nucleus and cell bodies are with in the inner nuclear layer.
They provide structural support and contribute to
metabolism of sensory retina.
Retina contains other glial cells like astrocytes, microglial
and oligodendrocytes.

INNER PLEXIFORM LAYER:

Consists of synapses bet. Axons of bipolar cells and
dendrites of ganglion cells.
GANGLION CELL LAYER:
Cell bodies and nuclei of ganglion cells lie in this layer.
This layer is composed of single row of cells except in
macula where it is multi layer and on temporal side of disc it
has two layers.
It is absent in foveola
Classification of ganglion cells:
a. w, x, y ganglion cells
b. P & M ganglion cells
c. Off centre & on centre
d. Mono & Polysynaptic
NERVE FIBRE LAYER:

Consists of unmyelinated axons of the ganglion cells

which converge at the optic nerve head. Pass through the

lamina cribrosa and become ensheathed by myelin posterior

to the laminar.

Thickness where is from 0.5 to 2m.

 ARRANGEMENT OF NERVE
FIBRES IN THE RETINA:
1. Fibres from the nasal half of
the retina come directly to the
optic disc as superior and
inferior radiating fibres (srf and
irf).
2. Fibres from the macular region
pass straight in the temporal
part of the disck as
papillomacular bundle (pmb).
3. Fibres from the temporal retina
arch above and below the
macular and papillomacular
bundle as superior and inferior
arcuate fibres (saf and iaf) with
a horizontal raphe in between.
ARRANGEMENT OF NERVE FIBRES OF THE OPTIC NERVE
HEAD:
Fibres form the peripheral part of the retina lie deep in the
retina but occupy the most peripheral (superficial) part of the
optic disc. While the fibres originating closer to the optic nerve
head lie superficially in the retina and occupy a more central
(deep) portion of the disc.
THICKENSS OF NERVE FIBRE LAYER AT THE DISC:
Thickness of the nerve fibre layer around the different
quadrants of the optic disc margin progressively increases in
the following order:
Most lateral quadrant (thinnest)
Upper temporal and lower temporal quadrant
Most medial quadrant
Upper nasal and lower nasal quadrant (thickest)
 CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF DISTRIBUTION AND
THICKNESS OF NERVE FIBRES AT THE OPTIC DISC
MARGIN:
1. Papilloedema appears first of all in the thickest quadrant
(upper nasal and lower nasal) and last of all in the thinnest
quadrant (most lateral).
2. Arcuate nerve fibres which occupy the superior temporal
and inferior temporal quadrants of optic nerve head are
most sensitive to glaucomatous damage, accounting for an
early loss in corresponding regions of visual field.
3. Macular fibres occupying the lateral quadrant are most
resistant to glaucomatous damage and explain the
retention of the central vision till end.
INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE:
Consists of PAS positive true basement membrane that
forms the interface between retina and vitreous. The fibrils
of the vitreous merge with the internal lamellae of this
membrane. It consists of Collagen fibrils, Proteoglycans,
Basement Membrane, Plasma Membrane of the Muller cells
and possibly other glial cells of the retina.
BLOOD SUPPLY OF THE RETINA:
Outer 4 layers of retina is supplied by (till outer nuclear layer)
choriocapillaries.
The inner six layers gets its supply from central retinal artery which
is a branch of ophthalmic artery.
The outer plexiform layer gets partly by both the above arteries.
The fovea is avascular and is mainly supplied by choriocapillaries.
The inner portion of the retina is perfused by branches of the central
retinal artery.
In 30% of eyes ,a cilioretinal artery,branching from the ciliary
circulation ,supplies part of inner retina mainly The Macula Region.
The retinal blood vessels maintain the inner blood-retinal barrier.This
physiological barrier is due to single layer of non-fenestrated
endothelial cells,whose tight junctions are impervious to tracer
substances such as fluorescein.
Retinal blood vessels lack an internal elastic lamina & a
continuous layer of smooth muscle cells.
The retinal arteries are end arteries & have no
anastomoses.The only place where the retinal system
anastomoses is in the neighbourhood of lamina cribrosa.
The veins of the retina unite to form Central retinal vein at the
disc, which follows the corresponding artery.
The terminal fundus arterioles bend sharply and dip almost
vertically into the retina.
In most of the Extramacular fundus- two retianal capillary
networks- a superficial and a deep.
In parafoveal zone it is well developed and in 3 layers.
A capillary free zone of 500miceo metre diameter in foveal
zone- FAZ.
 Blood Retinal Barrier.
Formed by the endothelial cells that are closely
bound together about the lumen by intercellular
junctions of zonula occludens type.
These junctions normally prevent the free flow of
fluids and solutes.
The endothelial cells are encircled by basement
membrane and which is surrounded by layer of
pericytes- which is further surrounded by
basement membrane.
1:1 ratio of pericytes and basement membrane
cells is normal.